Judge denies Elon Musk’s bid to move Twitter case from Washington to Texas

Elon Musk, a billionaire, has failed to persuade a federal judge in Washington, DC, to move a lawsuit against the late disclosure of his growing Twitter stake in Texas, claiming he was too busy defending himself in the country’s capital.

The richest person in the world has “considerable means” and spends at least 40% of his time abroad, according to US District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan on Thursday, but she “takes Mr. Musk’s convenience seriously.”

According to her, “Mr. Musk’s brief indicates that he has spent considerable time here this year,” in reference to his time as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Donald Trump.

Additionally, Sooknanan added that she could proceed with “reasonable alacrity” because Texas judges have larger caseloads than her court.

Musk claimed that he was an “incredibly busy individual” who worked 80+ hours per week and frequently slept in his office or factory when he sought to move the case. He claimed that Washington, DC, would impose “substantial burdens” on litigating there.

The Reuters news agency contacted Musk’s attorneys for comment on the request for comment. The government shutdown, which started on Wednesday, was not addressed by a SEC spokesman.

According to Forbes, Musk’s wealth reached $500 billion for the first time on that day.

In January, Musk was sued by the SEC because of his 11-day delay in disclosing his initial 5-percent stake in early 2022, which caused him to purchase more than $500 million of shares at artificially low prices.

It wants Musk to pay a civil penalty and forfeit the $150 million that he allegedly saved for unsuspecting investors. The case is being referred to as dismissed by Musk. In October 2022, he renamed Twitter X and purchased it entirely for $44 billion.

Tesla, SpaceX, and the Boring tunnel business are all based in Austin, Texas, where Elon Musk resides.